Debate contribution: Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill: Second Stage
Debate contribution by Miss Nicola Brogan on .
- MLA
- Miss Nicola Brogan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 16 September 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill: Second Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5111362
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I join other Members in welcoming Peter Martin as the new Chair of the Infrastructure Committee. I am sure that we will continue to work constructively together as a Committee. I also send my very best wishes to Deborah and her family as they embark on a whole new adventure. While the Water, Sustainable Drainage and Flood Management Bill might not sound exciting, it is crucial to the development and maintenance of vital infrastructure and will have numerous cross-cutting benefits. It is further proof of the Minister's commitment to improve protections for citizens while maintaining crucial services here despite the British Government's repeated assaults on the already stretched Budget. The Bill's key component is the introduction of the flood protection grants for domestic buildings, which will help provide peace of mind and practical support for people who are living in high-flood-risk areas. Helping people to protect their home is one of the most fundamental duties of government, and it is very welcome that the Minister has made that the centrepiece of her Bill. The introduction of sustainable drainage systems is a creative addition that will provide low-maintenance, sustainable and practical support for dealing with excess waste water and is one that can be blended into the surroundings without causing an eyesore. Finally, the introduction of temporary hosepipe bans comes with specific criteria and measures for informing the public and ensuring that bans are employed only in the most serious circumstances. A chairde,
while the Bill will have a positive effect on our ability to deal with waste water and flooding, I will take a moment to address some of the other, broader cross-cutting effects that it will have. Reducing the strain on our existing waste water infrastructure will free up capacity for expanding the water network, allowing for more connections and, therefore, the building of more badly needed homes. Sustainable drainage systems will help to reduce waste water going into the system after flooding or heavy rains, which often result in the discharge of excess waste water into waterways such as Lough Neagh. Yesterday, the House debated the need for improved road maintenance. Excess flooding and poor drainage are among the primary causes of erosion and the deterioration of our road network, particularly our rural roads. The introduction of grants for measures to protect domestic buildings against flooding may even help to reduce the cost of insurance in flood-prone areas. This is a sensible Bill, providing real, tangible protections for our waste water system, our environment and our people as well as providing numerous other knock-on cross-cutting benefits. I am happy to support the Bill, and I hope that other Members will do so too.
445 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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